with practical tips. >>> and reportrayed, arguably, the best villain in tvhistory.larryhagmandiedat the age of 81. he was also in "i dream of jeanie." he died in the city of texas who made him famous. the iconic character that viewers loved to hate, had the nation in a frenzy asking, who shot j.r. >> everyone in the country was watching that show. >>> first, abc's alex perez is in for ron claiborne, as a look at the headlines this morning. great to have you on set. >> good morning. we begin with what's being called a miracle in massachusetts. a gas explosion leveling a building in a busy downtown springfield. somehow, no one was killed. those at the scene say it looked like a missile strike. a major natural gas explosion leveled an entire building in one of new england's largest cities friday night. the blast in springfield, massachusetts, also left several other businesses damaged beyond repair. all windows in a three-block radius, completely shattered. >> it was like, boom. >> my back bedroom and kitchen window were completely blown out. it blew me across the room. i got up on the floor a

. >> great to see you. >>> we're going to turn, now, to the passing of a tvicon.larryhagmandiedyesterday, suffering complications from his battle with cancer. the star of "dallas" and "i dream of jeanie" will be remembers most for his most famous character, j.r. ewing, the most despised and loved villain in tv history. he was as charismatic as he was evil. he was one of the most colorful and villainized characters on television, j.r. ewing. >> you'll find all kinds of ways to skin a cat. >> reporter: when larry hagman took the role on, it was only supposed to last a few weeks. but "dallas" became a hit and the role, a part of television history. in his last sitdown interview with abc station wfaa, hagman revealed -- >> i was thinking we could get six shows out of this and walk away and go on vacation. >> reporter: no vacation, as hagman's character, the mischievous oil tycoon and his antics, made "dallas" one of the biggest hits in the '80s. and recently, hagman and his co-stars were reunited as the show, just retooled for modern times. >> i hate to hit a man below the belt. but you know